Definitional Conflicts With The Word Ezine

Writen by Lance Winslow

Many folks who send out or publish Ezines believe that Ezines must be sent out by email otherwise they are not an Ezine. Others say that an Ezine is an Electronic Magazine. In discussing this recently with several of the leading industry professionals in the Ezine Publishing sub-sector it became apparent to me that there are some definitional conflicts regarding what exactly Ezines are and what would constitute an Ezine.

Personally, I am under the belief that Ezines and Electronic Magazines or Electronic Newsletters and that they are Ezines no matter how they are distributed and they do not necessarily have to be emailed. For instance GM may have 110 locations in 22 countries and if they send an Electronic Newsletter to all their Vendors, Employees and Biggest Customers who are all using a similar computer network, then they would not be using email to send it, yet it is still an Electronic Magazine either way. So, if they use their computer network to send it out then it is an Ezine.

If one of these new online libraries posts an Electronic Magazine in its system, it is an Ezine, having never appeared in print yet displayed on the site. It would still be an Ezine. If someone on a Moon Colony sent a Newsletter to the ground base, they would not be using email perhaps, but the ground base would then send it out by email. So when does it become an Ezine; When it is was created, not when it was distributed you see? So you could say the creation with the intent to email means your creation is an Ezine, but if your never send it is it or is it not an Ezine. Perhaps you might consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Revenue Profits From Your Ezine

Writen by Donesia Muhammad

One of the main reasons why publishers start their own ezine is to profit from their publications. This is normally in the form of paid advertisements. Paid advertisements are a great way to generate revenue for your ezine, but there are some things you must know first before you plunge ahead.

Generally once your subscriber list reaches around 1,000 readers then you can start charging for your ad space. Can you start charging at an earlier stage?

Yes, but you may not get the same response as if your list was larger. Unless you have a highly targeted list, for instance if every subscriber has been approved first and all the readers all have an area of expertise in common.

For instance the list can consist of only publishers, or only entrepreneurs of the same type of business. Any type of highly targeted list will offer paid advertisements at an early stage.

There is no need to become greedy and start charging when you have 50 subscribers. Patience is something you have to learn with ezine publishing so you can the benefits later.

WHAT TYPE OF ADS CAN READERS PAY FOR?

Generally you have classified ads, and sponsorship ads.

Classified ads are generally free or very low cost due to the fact that most of these ads are at the bottom and are usually anywhere from 5-15 classified ads in each publication. Classified ads are generally 2-6 lines long. Since the exposure for your ad is very small the price, if any is very cheap.

Publishers often offer bulk deals on classified ads since repeat exposure is what works in ezine advertising.

Most people who don't like to see a lot of these type of ads clustered together, since it doesn't distinguish your ad from the others so they make skip that section. A better exposure for your ads are what is known as sponsorship ads.

Sponsorship ads are longer than classified ads usually up to 8-10 lines in length and has a better position in your ezine. These type of ads are placed in the top position as these are the most expensive because of the readers see these ads first with plenty of white space around so you are getting more for your advertising dollar.

Solo Ads are even more specialized since these ads are the only thing that your reader sees. You can get your point across more with a solo ad than a regular sponsorship but it depends on how often the publisher sends out solo ads. Three or four solo ads per day do not have the same advertising power as sending out a solo ad a few times a week. So publishers take note since most of your unsubscribes happen as a result of too many solo mailings.

One of the most common problems which charging for your paid ads is not knowing what to charge for your ad space.

WHAT TO CHARGE?

This can be a difficult question to ask in the beginning without looking at other publications of your size. You generally see lists with a size of 1,000 charge anywhere from $4-8 for a top sponsor ad, and maybe $3-5 for a middle sponsor ad.

Bottom sponsor ads and classified ads are cheapest due to the position of those type of ads which are generally at the bottom. It also depends on how highly targeted your list is. A specialized list charges almost twice as much as a normal opt in list due to it's targeted specialization.

Now I have seen some very greedy publishers charging ridiculous prices which are not worth the price. I have seen one publisher charge $20.00 for a top sponsor ad with a list of 250 subscribers.

This was not a targeted list and I actually laughed when I wondered how many people would actually pay that high price for such a small list. Just because you see other publishers charge $50 or more for an ad check to see how many subscribers they have and how original their content is.

Once you reach over 5,000 subscribers you no longer have a newbie list and you can charge $20 ( for example) for a middle sponsor ad and more. But remember people need more confidence in your ezine before they decide to pull out their credit card.

HOW CAN MY READERS PAY ME?: PAYMENT CHOICES

Online checks, Third party payment processors, or snail mail are some of your options. Your readers will pay you the same way they pay for your products and services. You do have a way for your visitors to purchase your products right?

Most publishers offer paypal as an easy way to accept paid ads https://www.paypal.com It is fast, quick and very convenient.

There are other payment processors that you can use:

Clickbank.com
http://clickbank.com

E-Gold
http://e-gold.com

2 Checkout.com
http://2checkout.com

IBill.com http://ibill.com

You can also provide a mailing address for your readers to mail their payment in the form of a check or a money order. Keep in mind that this is a slower way of accepting payments since you must wait for the payment to arrive in the mail then wait for the check to clear. But this method also makes sense in the long run.

As you grow your list you may end up charging hundreds of dollars for an advertisement. Most people may not have this available funds on their credit cards or they may have a daily spending limit so when you are accepting large payments, this may be one of your popular payment choices.

A Cheaper Free Alternative: Ad Swaps

You can also swap your ezine ad with another publisher in exchange for their ad for no charge. This is a great way to meet other publishers in your niche and to have targeted ads in your ezine. Since this is no cost to you, you have nothing to lose by swapping ads with others.

Overextending Yourself

If you offer $15 for a top sponsor ad in your ezine, then you might figure to go ahead and sell 4 top sponsor ads in each issue. Hey that's $60 an issue, great huh? Not really. When people pay for prime ad space they don't want to see other ads crowding around them. It diminishes the status of their ad and pretty soon your advertisers may want a refund or another alternative. It doesn't pay to be greedy with your profits.

Your advertisers will thank you for that.

WHAT DO I LOOK FOR WHEN I BUY AN EZINE AD?

There are a couple of things I look for and a few questions you may want to ask a publisher concerning purchasing advertising.

When I look to buy an ad, I first look at the ezine.

1. How many subscribers do they have?

Some would prefer lists of at least 2,000 subscribers depending on your ad budget.

2. Are they telling the truth in their actual subscriber count?

It doesn't pay to lie about your list size. Just like those fake hit counters on website, it just makes you look so unprofessional.

3. How many ads do they place in each issue?

How often do you publish? If all I see are ads, then the other readers are not even bothering to look at your ad.

4. What type of payment options do you offer?

How hard are you going to make it for me to pull out my credit card or check to send it to you.

5. What are your ad guidelines?

Are they easy to find or do I have to go on a scavenger hunt to find your ad rates?

6. What does your website look like?

Many publishers neglect their website in favor of their ezine only and I hate to break it to you, but if advertisers see that you are hosted on a free host, they won't want to buy ads from you on a professional level. They will think that you are obviously not spending your ad revenue on a web host or a domain name so why bother??

7. Where are you getting your subscribers? Why are people subscribing to your ezine?

Did you just buy your entire list? There is nothing wrong with buying targeted subscribers but you may also not have a good communication with your readers if you just bought them and threw them in your list.

Are all your subscribers from an ad coop?

Ad coops are a great way to get subscribers ( I may be bias on this issue since I own an ad coop) but getting subscribers and keeping subscribers is another story altogether.

Why Some Publishers Don't Like Paid Ads

A lot of publishers don't offer paid ads in their ezine. What, do you think they are crazy, that they are missing out on some very lucrative income.

Well Yes and No.

Yes paid advertisements can offer you a steady income stream for your publication efforts. But think about it, if you didn't offer ads, then what ads, if any, would you place in your issues? Your ads, your affiliate products, your services.

Get it..

Good now go sell your ads or put your own ads, but do it the right way for the best results.

"Never compromise your quality for quantity. Don't get greedy with your profits or you will end up with nothing."

Copyright (c) KDM Publishing

Donesia Muhammad has been doing business online since 2001. Sign up For her Newsletter My IBiz Weekly ==>http://myibizweekly.com The Business Ezine For All Netpreneurs. Learn how to start and maintain your internet business and ezine, and stay sane while doing it. Read Our Archives and Learn with Valuable Resources. Helping Readers Online Since 2001... And Counting.

http://EzineAdHelper.com
http://KDMPublishing.com

Making The Most Of Low Cost Ezine Ads

Writen by Craig Dawber

Did you know that it is possible to reach more than 1000 people with just an investment of £5? That's right, the Internet is the medium where even low cost advertising can get you the eyeballs that you want.

What are the reasons that one should choose the path of ezine advertising. The reasons are fairly logical.

If you have developed a product or a website, then you would definitely need ezine advertising. Ezine advertising can range from the very simple to the most fancy ones. Ezine are small newsletters that are published on specific topics, (the range is prolific and these ezine cover the most basic to the most intriguing topics). These are then mailed to the subscribers.

There are medical journal ezine and those meant for children and well there are several which are even dedicated to porn on the net. So the entire range is vast. The subscribers might range from a few hundred to a few thousand, dependent upon the subject, its use and its versatility.

Most of these ezine are not spam. Their intentions are very genuine and are sent to those subscribers who have opted to receive these subscriptions. Therefore, they include options to opt out of receiving the ezine too.

The ezine are meant to reach the subscribers in a fast, convenient and an affordable way. To meet their financial requirements, they also lease out space on their ezine to potential advertisers who need to reach such a target audience. The revenue generation helps the ezine to offer the subscribers more at a lesser subscription rate. They operate in much the same way as newspaper business does.

The advantages of advertising in the ezine are a plenty.

1. Specifically they can reach a desired target audience. For example, if you have developed a specific accounting tool, then its best to advertise in ezine dedicated to accounting. This will instantly reach the target market of chartered accountants, stock market operators etc. therefore, you would be bang on target.
2. Its instantaneous ezine are published on the Internet. For this very specific reason, the ezine reaches the target market as soon as it is ready to be published. The subscribers can also download it immediately as soon as it 's published on the net. Therefore, your advertisement reaches its intended place without further delay.
3. Like newspapers, ezine ads make the ezine more affordable to subscribe. Ezine ads are also very cost effective. For as little as £5 one can reach 1000 customers/ subscribers.
4. Its possible to also test a small target market, before targeting the entire group. Therefore, ezine ads give much leeway and flexibility to the advertisers.

All good things do have some drawbacks and this is true even of ezine ads. They are few but at times, they can overwhelm you.

1. They are literally thousands of ezine to choose from, as well as hundreds of ezine, which are dedicated to the same topic. It can become difficult for the advertiser to choose which ezine to place the ad, such that they can get maximum mileage out of placing the ad.
2. Negotiation of rates and for how long the advertisement should run can also be a tedious affair.
3. How effective the ad has been in reaching its target customers via the ezine can be a time consuming affair.
4. Deciding whether to stay with the same ezine or changing over to another ezine. This decision can be a tough one.

One can opt for an ezine ad broker. These companies help in finding you the right ezine, in which you can place the ads. Some of these ad broker sites are:

http://www.pennmedia.com/
http://e-target.com/
http://sunmoments.com/lifestyles/ads/eb.html
http://www.topica.com/advertise/
http://www.webspinnersdesignco.com/ezine_advertising.html

The ad brokers are responsible for the following

1. Verify that the ezine are genuine, who will run the ad after taking advertisement revenue from you
2. Verify the number of subscribers as represented by the ezine
3. Verify that they genuinely pace ads on their websites and not deal in Spam

Usually the ad brokers charge a commission and this can range from £150 onwards.

Effective pointers on how the ezine ad should be

Normally all ezine ads should be 7 lines and have a maximum of 65 characters. Successful ones as shown below:

Do Away with your old cloggy sinks, visit us

FANTASTIC BUILDER SINKS
Visit us for an exciting new range, built from the latest material

For all your requirements, call 1800-365-FSINKS or
Visit us at www.fantasticbuildersinks.com

1. Successful advertisements will appeal to the target market. Know what your audience requires from you.

2. Have a catchy phrase or sentence, which will grab the attention of the audience.

3. Promote the website, the aim should be to get as many clicks as possible and furthermore these clicks should spell revenue for you at the end of the day

4. Prepare a number of ads and their sizes; this will help to put the most appropriate one that will catch the attention of the people.

5. Testing of ads is a must – run the ads in a small population to gauge the reaction of the target audience. If need be, you can also change the ad to suit the requirements.

6. The other material should also be in the right format. For example the order form should have been uploaded and working.

This article was written by Craig Dawber of smarket-associates.com Need advice and guidance with your online business check out the resources found in this website.